


story of tonight(s)

by Konoline



Category: Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-17 22:05:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10603200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Konoline/pseuds/Konoline
Summary: A magician gives a girl two nights she will never forget.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A sort of sequel to my earlier story,[ Witch hunting](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10026266)  
> I always wanted to write something sequel-y for it, but didn't really have a good idea till a few days ago.

“Come all! Tonight, the Fallen Angel Yohane will share her magic with you all.”

Hanamaru looked up from where she was seated. A rabbit familiar stood in the middle of the square, dressed in a black magician’s outfit. They handed out flyers to everyone who passed and expressed interest. A small crowd had gathered around the familiar, who was still excitedly handing out flyers. When the crowd had begun to walk away again, Hanamaru packed up her pen and ink and walked up. This show sounded like a pleasanter way to spend the night, rather than staring at an endless sea of paper. The rabbit smiled as Hanamaru approached.

“Sorry! I’m all out of flyers, but the tent is big enough to have one more guest! The show starts just after sunset, and lasts till the moon is in the middle of the sky. Are you interested in coming?” Her voice was deeper than her appearance would suggest, the familiar held out a gloved hand, a puff of smoke appearing in her palm when she opened it.

Hanamaru nodded her head a few times, a bit surprised at the familiar’s enthusiasm. Her face lit up happily, and she cleared her throat. 

“I’ll see you tonight then, thank you for coming!” And she spun away, giving a similar speech to a group of familiars. Hanamaru saw their faces light up too as she walked back to her apartment. Grateful that she had kept her window closed this time, the endless piles of paper still lay motionless on her table, and floor, and well… just about anywhere they ended up. Being a calligrapher wasn’t supposed to be this messy, but she couldn’t bring herself to throw away her warm ups.

She continued her routine as she always did, writing the works that were commissioned before she delivered them to the shop. She’d receive her payment for the work she finished, and then the next few jobs. Working as the only calligrapher in the region was the only reason she could continue doing this, Hanamaru couldn’t even think about someone else taking a position here. She was already average at her work, she didn’t want to be kicked out of her house. But that was no worry for now! For now she still had work and that was good!

When she came back home she tidied up, bundling stack upon stacks of paper and pushing them into the rapidly growing corner of bundles of paper. This could be considered a fire hazard right? She hoped not, inspection was due soon. Why was being an adult so incredibly stressful!? A burning scent wafted through the room, her eggs! She totally forgot about those.

 

* * *

 

One burned dinner later, and Hanamaru was all dressed for the show tonight. Turnout was larger than she expected, people from all over town (and most likely other nearby towns, Hanamaru didn’t recognize a good number of people) were present. Her friend, Ruby Kurosawa, was selling snacks and pastries, which was a welcome treat after Hanamaru’s burned rice and eggs. Ruby was too busy to chat with her, and Hanamaru said they’d have to meet up soon again. A voice rang inside the tent, and the guests were hoarded inside. Hanamaru got a seat next to a couple who were sitting almost glued to each other, whispering to themselves. 

The lights died down, and then the stage filled with smoke. The crowd let out some “Oo”’s and some closer to the stage coughed. Next to her Hanamaru heard a detailed explanation as to why this wasn’t magic, and she wondered for a moment if magic was even real to begin with. Then the lights turned on, spotlights focused on the familiar that was handing out flyers earlier. 

“Thank you all for coming out here, I knew no one could resist the temptation of seeing a Fallen Angel in action~” As she twirled a cape materialized, like dark smoke taking a solid shape. When in motion it looked like the viewers were watching a giant black bat in motion. A wand and hat appeared in a similar fashion, and then Hanamaru had fallen for the show. 

“Now let Yohane show you what she can do!”

The majority of the show was themed around bats and devils, with Yohane performing all manner of acrobatic feats as well. At the conclusion of the show, Yohane spun her hat around and an endless stream of round bat-shaped orbs flew around the stage, before bursting into bright red sparks. The stage lights died down after that, and when the regular softer lighting lit up again the stage was empty. Hanamaru was starstruck.

“That was amazing!” She said aloud, jumping out of her seat. Slowly the guests left the tent, and Hanamaru wondered if she could get Yohane to sign something for her. Luckily she always had paper around. However, the performing familiar was nowhere to be found. Unsure if she could stay in the tent after everyone left (which they already did), Hanamaru made her way to the exit.

“Did you enjoy the show?” An unfamiliar voice called out. 

Yohane was watching her, amusement in her eyes. She was still in her stage outfit, just without the cape and hat. Her ears were perked up, with the tip of the left one folding over slightly. Her voice was different from the deep one she used every other time she spoke, it must be some persona.

“Y-Yes! I’ve never seen a magic show before, it was amazing!”

Yohane blushed slightly, then laughed, then looked a little smug, all in the span of a few moments.

“Yohane never disappoints! ...Was there something you needed? You’re the only one who stuck around.”

Hanamaru flinched slightly. “Oh! I totally forgot.” Then took out a notebook and a pencil. “Could I get your autograph, if it’s not too much trouble?”

“Oh, uh sure!” Yohane took the notebook and pencil and started scribbling. “Who’s it for?”

“Kunikida Hanamaru, but you don’t have to feel forced write a story!”

Yohane chuckled, then returned the notebook. Her autograph was just as one could expect. Yohane written in cursive, with some soft of bat-rabbit head drawn next to it. Hanamaru could see something else written on the other side of the paper, but couldn’t make out the words. She’d have to look at that later, Yohane looked a little embarrassed now. 

“Thank you for the autograph, I really appreciate it.”

“No problem, Yohane doesn’t disappoint a little demon either. But… you should go home,” She said. “It’s already late. Do you live nearby?”

Hanamaru nodded in response. “I live in an apartment building near this edge of town. Thank you for the show, it was amazing.” She bowed and left the tent. Outside it was dark, even with the floating lights that were all over the place. Ruby had already left, was Dia with her today? Hanamaru didn’t see her at all today, usually she would be helping out when Ruby was hired for a larger event. The walk home was uneventful, though seeing the town lit up at night was something special.

 

* * *

 

Once inside of her (clean!) room, the first thing she did was checking out what Yohane wrote on the back of the paper. It was scribbled in a more rushed lettering, as if it was a later afterthought. If Hanamaru ever wrote like that, she’d definitely lose her reputation as a calligrapher.

‘Hi Kunikida-san, meet me in the square tomorrow at noon?’ It read. Huh, was that an invitation to a date? Hanamaru had never been asked out on a date before, especially not by a talented magician… For a few moments she stressed, then took a deep breath. It would be okay, just pretend it’s like spending the day with Ruby… Except this time she only knew a stage name, and nothing else about the person she was meeting… Ohh, this was scary. Needless to say, she had a tough time sleeping that night.

The following morning was rather normal, Hanamaru didn’t burn her eggs and her apartment wasn’t a mess. She picked out some of her better casual clothes, did her hair like she always did and then left the house with her usual stuff. The square was still empty when she arrived, was she early? Or was she really late and did Yohane leave already?

“Sorryyyy!” Ah, she was early then. Yohane came running into the square, dressed in a way more casual, yet still mainly black, outfit. That must get awfully hot if it gets sunny… Her ears were drooping, was that a sign of guilt in rabbits too? Hanamaru couldn’t really read animal body language.

“It’s alright, I just arrived too.” She bowed slightly. “Are you ok? You look a little pale…”

“Eh… Just a bit of bad luck, I got lost and when I realized that I had to run here… But I’m glad it turned out okay! Shall we go then? I found a good place to have lunch.”

 

* * *

 

During their walk the two had some small talk. Yohane’s name wasn’t actually Yohane (unsurprising), but Tsushima Yoshiko. She just liked her stage name much much more. Hanamaru talked a little about her job and life, while Yohane listened intently. 

“Do you work for someone?” Hanamaru asked once the two had received their food. “Most familiars around here do.”

Yohane rubbed the side of her chin with a finger. “No. Never have, and likely never will. Rabbit types aren’t too popular. Dog types are good at police work, and magicians like cats more because they’re less suspicious.”

“Huh, guess the name doesn’t work for you then. Sorry if that was a rude question.” 

“No problem, it’s a common question. Also, our kind’s actual name is animalia. It’s not something a lot of humans know though.”

“Oh? I never heard of that name before. I’ve been told it’s familiar all my life.”

“It’s fallen out of practise, it’s easier to just say familiar. And the original names we had for humans weren’t all that nice either.” She chuckled. “Let’s just say we made it even with forgetting names.”

They fell back to small talk. Yohane revealed that she was born here, but moved away with her parents when she was in middle school. Now that she was old enough she decided to try out for her show’s debut in her birthplace. With how small the town was, Hanamaru was surprised she didn’t recognize (or know) Yohane when she was younger. Or maybe she did and someone cast a spell on her. They spent the rest of the afternoon walking through town. Eventually the topic of magic came up again, and Hanamaru could ask the burning question from last night.

“Yohane, is magic actually real?” 

She didn’t receive a response. For a second Hanamaru felt anxiety creeping through her, terrified that she said something wrong again. Then she heard a sigh.

“That’s… a very long story. One I’m not sure if I can tell.”

“Oh...” Hanamaru felt a hand on her shoulder. Were they already close enough for that?

“All you need to know is that Yohane is one-hundred percent real, little demon.” She said in her deep voice, pink eyes sharp and narrow. It made Hanamaru a little nervous. 

They continued walking, leaving the city. A small bench stood in front of a small lake, where the two sat down to watch the sun set. Ducks swam around in the water, cooling down after a warm day. A brown dog and orange cat were watching them from a bench a bit further away.

Darkness fell faster than Hanamaru was used to. Yohane’s eyes almost glowed in the dark, and she took one of Hanamaru’s hands.

“Now…Do you want to see if magic is real?” She whispered, using that deep voice again. The words sending shivers down Hanamaru’s neck.

“...Y-Yes…” Yohane swept Hanamaru off her feet almost instantly, and slowly picked up speed as they moved through the dark off town. All the lights they passed felt like they were real but also not, like stuck in an ethereal limbo. The town felt darker than usual, and they passed nobody as Yohane began to bound through the streets, suddenly jumping on top of a building. The roof was much more spacious than Hanamaru expected, with a group of musicians playing music, while another group danced around. Two familiars that had a striking resemblance to the dog and cat Hanamaru saw earlier were on the dancefloor. A collection of humans was present as well. Dancing lights floated over the place, giving it the illusion of just being a room with invisible walls with fairy lights over an open roof. It was magical, in both senses of the word. Several hands waved in greeting, and some people cheered when Yohane let go of Hanamaru.

“Sorry about taking you here like this, it’s awfully tough to lift someone up the roof.”

“It’s fine… Wow, I never knew there was a place like this out there!”

“As it’s supposed to~” A woman walked up to them, Hanamaru recognized her as one of the women of the couple that sat next to her at the show last night. The blonde woman made a sign with her hands that was foreign to Hanamaru. “Humans that don’t know magic shouldn’t even be up here, but I guess I broke that rule first when I took Kanan here. But that’s beside the point, Yoshiko, how have you been? You haven’t been around here in years!”

“Good, good, living somewhere where nobody knew me did wonders for my reputation. It’s good to be back though, are you doing okay too?”

“Yep~ Things have been so much better since Kanan and I started living together, but I don’t think you came here to talk about me.” She leaned in towards Yohane and whispered something Hanamaru couldn’t hear. Yoshiko responded with a loud “Eh!?” so it must have been for her ears only.

The woman, named Ohara Mari (Yoshiko whispered it in her ear), was a renowned alchemist and witch from an area further away, she moved here recently after some incidents in her town. Yoshiko didn’t tell her much else, Hanamaru didn’t pry either. It was rude to ask about the private lives of strangers. The two danced the night away instead, Hanamaru awkwardly spinning around while Yohane almost stole the show. Time felt like it didn’t exist while they moved around, Hanamaru felt like the heroine of a story, whisked away to a world she could have never experienced on her own by a dashing rogue. And like in the novels, she could feel a spark of  _ something _ whenever their hands brushed past each other. Before dawn came, Hanamaru felt herself doze off, her head leaning on Yohane’s shoulder.

She woke up in her own futon the next morning… Or noon, it was later than usual at least. She felt a little dizzy, and got up to splash some water on her face. Better make breakfast too while she was at it, and then it was back to work. Images of Yohane’s face flashed through her mind. Did last night really happen? From the kitchen Hanamaru could see the building on which they danced last night. It was as empty as always, and much smaller looking than always. She must have had a wild dream last night, there was simply no way that this could’ve happened. Maybe she drank a little during dinner and that’s why she fell in love with a familiar on a roof.

When she entered her living room there was one piece of paper on her table. Did she forget about that yesterday? 

‘Hi Hanamaru, good morning! I hope you had fun last night, I thought it was one of the best nights of my life. You fell asleep after dancing too long, your keys had your address on it  so I brought you home (I hope that was okay). My address is down below, if you ever want to meet up again just come over. -Yoshiko’

The message made her feel fuzzy inside again. She flipped it over, gasping as she realized it was actually more than just a letter. The other side was a picture of her dancing with Yoshiko, from last night. The biggest shock factor was that the picture actually moved, and though in black-and-white, Hanamaru almost felt like the picture made her relive what happened last night. She took out some paper, her pen and ink, and began to write. She put more work into making the lettering perfect than she did for some of her commissioned work.

‘Dear Yoshiko (is it okay if I call you that? You wrote that on your letter), I had a lot of fun too, I think you gave me one of the best days of my life. Thank you for bringing me home and for the picture. Do you think you’ll have time in another week? I’d love to meet you again. 

I wish you well, Hanamaru.’

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!  
> I posted this at like 4:30am because im buu buu the fool and played botw and sif (diamari event? I have been dying for T1 for so long) all day instead of working on this. send help.


End file.
